‘Fight for justice to go on, with or without Girhotras’

A family fighting for justice for Ruchika Girhotra — a 14-year-old girl who committed suicide after being molested by former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore in 1990 — has raised doubts that the CBI is attempting to silence the victim’s family.

A family fighting for justice for Ruchika Girhotra — a 14-year-old girl who committed suicide after being molested by former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore in 1990 — has raised doubts that the CBI is attempting to silence the victim’s family.

Anand Prakash, whose family has relentlessly struggled for justice for Ruchika, has also decided to keep the crusade alive by challenging the CBI’s closure report in a higher court, “with or without the Girhotras”.

The development comes two days after the Girhotras accepted the CBI’s closure report, which has dropped charges against Rathore in two cases.

While Ashu Girhotra, Ruchika’s brother, had alleged that he was tortured by the Haryana police after a false case of auto theft was registered against him at the behest of Rathore, Ruchika’s father SC Girhotra had alleged his signatures had been forged on Ruchika’s post-mortem report after she committed suicide in December 1993.

But the CBI closure report, filed in 2010, said there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations. Based on the family’s decision to raise no objection to the report, the CBI court in Panchkula on Friday accepted the report.

“The family is under some kind of pressure and at the moment is not ready to talk about the case,” Prakash said. “Girhotras have told me they can’t fight the CBI and are, thus, not interested in taking the case forward.”

Prakash is, however, hoping the family gathers courage and joins him once he has filed a petition. “It is my decision to file a PIL and as far as the Girhotras are concerned they might come forward with their support.”

Rathore is currently out on bail after spending around six months in jail serving a sentence of 18 months in the case relating to the molestation charge. He has appealed against the sentence in the molestation case.